NASCAR announced Friday that it has postponed the May 8-9 race weekend at Martinsville Speedway, making it the eighth Cup event to be postponed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
NASCAR said in a statement that “our intention remains to run all 36 races, with a potential return to racing without fans in attendance in May at a date and location to be determined. The health and safety of our competitors, employees, fans and the communities in which we run continues to be our top priority.”
During the pandemic, NASCAR has postponed races at Atlanta, Homestead, Texas, Bristol, Richmond, Talladega, Dover and Martinsville.
The Martinsville race was scheduled to be the track’s first Cup night race. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam previously issued a stay-at-home order for the state through June 10.
“We want to thank all of our dedicated fans who were set to join us during our May race weekend and our first NASCAR Cup Series race under the lights,” said Martinsville Speedway President Clay Campbell. “The well-being and safety of our patrons, NASCAR stakeholders, employees and our community continues to be our number one priority. We appreciate your patience and understanding during these challenging times and we look forward to having everyone back in the near future to help us make history once again at Martinsville Speedway.”
The next scheduled event is the May 16 All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) April 17, 2020